Shades of Blue (1994)

About this title: In 1994 producer-tenor saxophonist Bob Belden received the unusual assignment of putting together a variety of all-star groups to revisit tunes associated with the Blue Note legacy. From Nov. 1994 to Mar. 1995 he recorded most of Blue Note's current roster, documenting 39 compositions in all. 12 are on this CD while many of the others have been released in Japan. Each of the dozen numbers uses a different group and they are generally consistent if not filled with surprises. Dianne Reeves, Cassandra Wilson, Holly Cole and Kurt Elling are heard on vocal features (Reeves and Elling fare best), ... read more

Tracks:

1. Maiden Voyage [Hancock]
2. Un Poco Loco [Powell]
3. Tom Thumb [Shorter]
4. Joshua Fit de Battle of Jericho [Traditional]
5. Siete Ocho [Hill]
6. You've Changed [Carey/Fischer]
7. Hum Drum Blues [Brown]
8. 2300 Skiddoo [Nichols]
9. Song for My Father [Silver]
10. Tanganyika Dance [Elling/Tyner]
11. Evidence [Monk]
12. Una Mas [Dorham]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.